The photograph provides a view of the LDEF end support beam (ESB) scuff plates. The scuff plates and the longeron payload trunnion guides installed in the Orbiter cargo bay provide a mechanism for positioning a payload in the payload retention latches in the Orbiter's cargo bay during berthing operations. The paint scheme of bright yellow paint with black markings meets Orbiter visibility requirements. Note the difference in the color of paint on the scuff plates after the extended eposure to the space environment. The scuff plate on the left was located on the ESB trunnion on the leading edge of LDEF, row 9, and the color is essentially the same as prelaunch. The discolorations on the yellow surface appears to be from postflight handling and are not attributed to the space exposure. The scuff plate on the right was located on the trailing edge of the LDEF, row 3, and has changed to a brown color. The main dif- ference in the exposure environments of the two scuff plates was the atomic oxygen flux. The leading edge was exposed to the RAM and the maximum atomic oxygen flux with the trailing edge being in the LDEF's wake and exposed to the minimum atomic oxygen flux.

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